Athens to Niš by train
Travel from Athens (Greece) to Niš (Serbia) by train (614km): schedule and information to the train connection. Compare fares and buy your ticket.
To travel by train from Athens in Greece to Niš in Serbia, the main route leads via Macedonia or Bulgaria. Please read the following information and blog posts.
There are two main routes. Compare them and decide which one feeds your needs best.
- 1Athens (Greece) - Thessaloniki (Greece) - Niš (Serbia)
- 2Athens (Greece) - Thessaloniki (Greece) - Sofia (Bulgaria) - Niš (Serbia)
614 km
How to use the following information: we show you the best routes and where to buy tickets. On longer routes you may need more than one ticket. Book your tickets step by step as explained. If you have questions about the route from Athens to Niš, please ask in our forum. Of course, sometimes there are as well other travel routes possible.
The following links could be interesting for you.
train connections : popular connections travelled by other users
Niš - Athens / Athens - Novi Sad / Thessaloniki - Belgrade / Thessaloniki - Niš / Thessaloniki - Novi Sad / Alexandroupoli - Belgrade / Larissa - Belgrade / Patras - Belgrade / Piraeus - Belgrade1 Athens (Greece) - Thessaloniki (Greece) - Niš (Serbia)
The route consist of more than one step. You have to buy several train tickets.
1a Travelling from Athens (Greece) to Thessaloniki (Greece)
To travel by train from Athens to Thessaloniki, use one of the direct IC connections for day travel. There are usually five IC connections per day with a journey time of 4 hours.
The ticket price for a one-way journey starts from EUR 35 in second class.
There is one overnight train available with a journey time of seven hours. Ticket fare starts from EUR 20.
Find the train-schedules and ticket fares via our booking links.
Check times&prices 
The following links could be interesting for you.
train types: Train types you are likely to travel with.
Inter City (IC)
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
T 600 Athens - Alexandroupoli / T 601 Alexandroupoli - Athens
train company:
OSE TRAINOSE
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Thessaloniki - Athens
1b Travelling from Thessaloniki (Greece) to Niš (Serbia)
Travel from Greece to Serbia by direct overnight train. This train runs on the route from Thessaloniki (Greece) via Skopje (Macedonia) to Belgrade (Serbia). Currently this train connection is only available in the summer months from June to September. Buy tickets for this travel route from 35 EUR at railway stations in Greece.
If this train does not run, you have to travel from Thessaloniki via Sofia (Bulgaria) to Belgrade.
Train tickets to travel to Thessaloniki are available on the website of Greek railways. Train tickets to continue your journey from Belgrade to your travel destination in Serbia are available on the website of Serbian railways or at the railway station.
Where to buy a ticket from Thessaloniki to Niš?
Buy the train ticket at a railway station. Note: in some countries you have to pay a service fee at the ticket counter. The ticket can be purchased at a station in the country of departure, also sometimes in other countries.
The following links could be interesting for you.
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
B 334 Thessaloniki - Belgrade / B335 Belgrade - Thessaloniki
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Niš - Thessaloniki / Thessaloniki - Belgrade / Athens - Belgrade / Athens - Niš / Athens - Novi Sad / Thessaloniki - Novi Sad
search for train schedules here: Online timetable information, on which you can find relevant, up-to-date connections.
rail.cc Deutsche Bahn
2 Athens (Greece) - Thessaloniki (Greece) - Sofia (Bulgaria) - Niš (Serbia)
The route consist of more than one step. You have to buy several train tickets.
2a Travelling from Athens (Greece) to Thessaloniki (Greece)
To travel by train from Athens to Thessaloniki, use one of the direct IC connections for day travel. There are usually five IC connections per day with a journey time of 4 hours.
The ticket price for a one-way journey starts from EUR 35 in second class.
There is one overnight train available with a journey time of seven hours. Ticket fare starts from EUR 20.
Find the train-schedules and ticket fares via our booking links.
The following links could be interesting for you.
train types: Train types you are likely to travel with.
Inter City (IC)
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
T 600 Athens - Alexandroupoli / T 601 Alexandroupoli - Athens
train company:
OSE TRAINOSE
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Thessaloniki - Athens
2b Travelling from Thessaloniki (Greece) to Sofia (Bulgaria)
Travel from Thessaloniki to Sofia by direct day train. The journey time is 8:30 hours. Buy your train ticket for 18 EUR at the train station in Thessaloniki.
The departure time in Thessaloniki is 05:50. The arrival time in Sofia is 14:20. There are always seats available therefore it is no problem to buy the ticket at the day of departure, even very early in the morning at Thessaloniki railway station.
Note (2022/2023): currently the train traffic is interrupted and you have to travel by bus. The bus ticket price is 15-20 EUR. Buy it via the given links or on union-ivkoni.com
No discount with Interrail/Eurail.
Where to buy a ticket from Thessaloniki to Sofia?
Buy the train ticket at a railway station. Note: in some countries you have to pay a service fee at the ticket counter. The ticket can be purchased at a station in the country of departure, also sometimes in other countries.
The following links could be interesting for you.
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Sofia - Thessaloniki
2c Travelling from Sofia (Bulgaria) to Niš (Serbia)
Travel from Bulgaria to Serbia on the only available cross-border railway line Kalotina to Dimitrovgrad.
On the travel route from Sofia via Nis to Belgrade you have currently one direct day train in the summer months. Otherwise the train connections required two change of trains. Sometimes an overnight train is offered as well.
The journey time from Sofia to Belgrade by direct day train is 09:15 hours. Train tickets are available from 21 EUR in 2nd class. Buy the ticket locally at the railway station. The departure time in Sofia is 09:15. The arrival time in Belgrade Topcider is 18:30.
If no direct train is available, you have to travel in several steps:
1. Sofia to Niš.
2. Niš to Dimitrovgrad.
3. Dimitrovgrad to Belgrade.
Find the exact schedules via the booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Sofia to Niš?
The following links could be interesting for you.
train types: Train types you are likely to travel with.
International Vlak (международни влак) (IV)
train company:
SV Srbija Voz / BDZ Български държавни железници
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Niš - Sofia / Sofia - Belgrade / Burgas - Belgrade / Varna - Belgrade / Plovdiv - Belgrade / Veliko Tarnovo - Belgrade / Sofia - Novi Sad
search for train schedules here: Online timetable information, on which you can find relevant, up-to-date connections.
rail.cc Deutsche Bahn / Serbian Railways
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Do you have questions about the connection between Athens and Niš? Does something not work as it should? Just ask in our forum and get competent answers from our rail travel experts.
Eurail: if you want to travel this route by Eurail instead of train tickets, have a look here for reservation fees and further information.
